See also

6/30/2015 11:08 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

Miss USA organizers are trying to entice NBC to reverse their decision to ax the pageant, with the help of 51 beautiful women.

Sources who run the pageant tell us, they're now scrambling to find a TV home just 2 weeks before the contest. They feel they shouldn't be painted with the same brush as Donald Trump, even though he has a majority stake in the pageant.

So executives who run Miss USA day-to-day are starting a petition, asking everyone associated with the pageant and others to send emails to NBC CEO Steve Burke.

The execs say they're between a rock and a hard place, because only Trump can try to cut a deal with another network, and he's made no such move. But the network has now orphaned the pageant so the only realistic option is for NBC to show mercy on the women who have no dog in Trump's fight.

The pageant people say they were blindsided by NBC's decision ... rehearsals are already underway and the girls are being fitted.

6/29/2015 1:05 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Donald Trump says NBC is "weak" for firing him, and he's threatening them in court.

Trump says NBC is a prime example of why our country is in serious trouble ... because it's so worried about offending, it is blinding itself to the immigration problem.

Trump says, "If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the horrendous and unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court."

Short story -- The Donald is threatening NBC the way he's threatened Univision, for allegedly breaching an iron-clad contract by pulling the plug on him.

And Trump took a parting shot, saying, NBC "will stand behind lying Brian Williams, but won't stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be."

6/25/2015 10:55 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

11:15 AM PT -- Cristian de la Fuente just confirmed what Donald told us. He was never hired as the host. He was merely brought on by Univision to host a simulcast.

Donald Trumphas a vision for Univision ... it involves a courtroom, a jury and a bank account that will be bled dry.

Trump tells TMZ, he will sue Univision for "hundreds of millions of dollars" for breaching what he says is a binding, 5 year deal to air the Miss USA pageant.

The Donald says Univision had no legal right to back out of the deal Thursday, based on his comments about Mexico and Mexicans, saying many of them who come here are drug dealers and rapists.

Trump tells us, the contract, which was signed in January of this year, is iron-clad. He also says Univision became immediately apologetic after pulling the plug, telling him they were backed against a wall and pleading with him not to talk about Mexico anymore or to at least soften his view.

The candidate says, "I love the Mexican people, but I'm running for President and our country comes first."

And, as for Cristian de la Fuente, the "Devious Maids" star who says he's backing out of hosting the pageant, Trump tells us, "We never even signed the guy. After the Miss USA people saw him they were unimpressed."

6/22/2013 5:20 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

After winning the Miss USA crown Erin Brady did what any starving beauty queen would do -- EAT ... well, kinda.

Our beauty queen spies tell TMZ ... Erin keeps her body right and tight by eating healthy (like all the time) ... which is why the 25-year-old noshed on a beet salad and spicy tuna on crispy rice as her first post-pageant meal.

Gorging on a burger didn't even cross Erin's mind ... she's a sweet over salty person. But the one thing she is craving: a hot fudge sundae, with ALL the toppings ... but for now, that's just unrequited love.

6/19/2013 12:55 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

She already (kinda) redeemed herself for that infamous pageant flub -- so yesterday, we decided to pelt the beautiful Miss Utah with some brain-twisting riddles instead ... and she actually did pretty damn well.

21-year-old Marissa Powell had just touched down in L.A. for her appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" -- and while she was at the airport, we asked her a bunch of questions to test her wits on the fly ... such as the classic "Who is buried in Grant's tomb?" and "What can you put in a bucket of water to make it lighter?"

She doesn't exactly get them right, but she doesn't exactly get them wrong either. Then again, she could probably say anything and we'd be happy.

6/18/2013 12:05 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

After days of ridicule, Miss Utah finally had a chance to redeem herself on the "Today" show this AM -- and this time she answered the infamous pageant question WITH FLYING COLORS!!! For a beauty queen.

Marissa Powell sat down with Matt Lauer and explained -- as TMZ previously reported -- that nerves got the best of her during Sunday night's Miss USA contest ... causing her to give one of the most confusing answers in pageant history.

Matt, being the saint he is, gave Marissa ONE MORE SHOT to get the question right ... see how she did this time. And remember folks she only had 48 hours, the Internet and a team of people to help her prepare.

6/17/2013 4:30 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

Miss Utah is beyond humiliated after her epic Q&A fail at the Miss USA pageant, and she's blaming her brain fart on a massive case of nerves ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Marissa Powell tell TMZ the beauty queen's mortified after babbling ... "we need to see how to create education better" while attempting to answer a question about salary inequality for women.

Marissa's now telling friends she botched the response because she was so anxious she spaced out during the question, and never really heard it.

Instead of asking the judge to repeat the question ... Marissa decided to fake an answer, but got more and more flustered as she tried to improvise.

6/17/2013 7:05 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

You Gotta See This!

Miss Utah is now in the beauty pageant Hall of Fame -- not because she won Miss USA, but because she bumbled through a cringe-inducing (and hysterical) 30 second answer that included the phrase, "create education better."

Judge Nene Leakes asked Marissa Powell about women in the workplace and equal pay -- which sent 21-year-old Miss Utah into a tailspin of a reply.

She starts out kinda strong, saying ... "I think we can relate this back to education, and how we are continuing to try to strive to ... " -- and then the fail begins.

Pretty sure you can see the smoke coming out of her ears as the implosion begins.